New Rye Room Session with country singer Jessie Leigh performing her brand new song “Storm In May”. Thanks to Nord Keyboards and ProAudioStar in Brooklyn for the Nord Electro 5D. The piano is on point in this one, getting a warm and soft touch out of it.
Much thanks to Vortex Music Magazine for the premier and AEA Ribbon Mics and Preamps for providing microphones for the session!
Read more about the Jessie Leigh and her song Storm in May, featured in Vortex Music Magazine.
Packing up the Nord Electro 5d and hitting the road this month with Jessie Leigh.
Custom, programmable set lists that store my drawbar presets for B3 and split settings have helped lighten the prep work needed to nail the piano and organ parts on a western tour with Jessie Leigh.
In addition to her debut album on Spotify, Jessie Leigh has some brand new material. Being able to quickly navigate my settings based on the set list really makes things a breeze.
Besides joining artists like Brooke Eden, Jackson Michelson and LOCASH for these shows, I’m excited to explore theses towns, capturing the sights and sounds on Instagram.
Follow me on Instagram @bkakeys
A while ago I mentioned I would take a picture of my rotary setup. It’s been a long, long while now–but here it is. (Pay no attention to the sound guy’s rat’s nest… I didn’t do it!) For my money, I get the advantages that a quality Leslie sound provides in a low-price and portable setup. Of course you can always go out and spend more than $300 for all the newest gear, but I didn’t, and I sure get a better sound than others who did.
I paired a Motion Sound Pro 3 with an Acoustic B100 bass amp. Here’s why:
Price: Total amount spent = $300. I bought the MSP3 on Craigslist for $200. I found the Acoustic B100 at Guitar Center in Boise, Idaho, while on tour for $100.
Sounds Great This is a solid-state setup (the only bummer here). But, you are able to adjust the overdrive, bass tone, and level difference between treble and bass.
Real Rotary: The duo essentially recreates a sound similar to a Leslie 147 with the back off and turned around, but with no need for a 1/4″ adapter or any further hardware. Don’t worry about the bass not being a rotary speaker, our ears aren’t equipped enough to REALLY notice the difference at 700Hz frequencies and below.
Compliments I think we all want to get noticed with our gear, right? Making others point, say wow, or ask for tips make me feel proud to play an tonewheel clone. In fact, I’ve seen people who know nothing about musical instruments point and say, “Look at the thing inside there go!” I want to explain what it is, and why it’s doing that. But overall, I’m happy because they’re paying more attention to me than the guitar player. Mission accomplished 🙂
How I hook It Up:
Basic setup is easy…
1. Setup Hammond Xk-1.
2. Run a 1/4″ instrument cable from the Hammond Xk-1 left out to the input on the MSP3.
3. Run a 1/4″ instrument cable from the MSP3 mono out to the B100 input.
4. Plug a pedal into the 1/4″ rotor control jack on the MSP3.
5. Mic rotor with one or two Beta 57s.
6. Mic B100 with Beta 52A.
Setup Specs:
MSP3: 6.5″H x 20″W x 16.5″D and weighs 27 lbs.
30W solid state amplifier with 700Hz crossover. Everything 700Hz and below is routed to the bass amp.
B100: 100W amp 1 x 15″ bass cabinet. Passive and active inputs, can control gain, volume, lows, lo-mids, hi-mids, and highs.
Live recording of “Piece of Heaven” by Aces Up.
Aces Up and myself have been invited to participate in the 4th Annual Granger Smith Boot Walk.
The event is a benefit for the Boot Campaign, a national 501c3 non-profit dedicated to promoting patriotism, raising awareness, and providing assistance to military families.
The 100-mile march begins in Austin, and participants will spend five days wearing out combat boots on the way to Fort Hood, where a daylong concert sums up the event on May 8.
Aces Up is a firm supporter of our troops. Guitarist and Bonney Lake resident Jason Adams, served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Fallujah and Ramadi during the Iraq War.
“It’s a good thing to remember everyone who give their life in support of a greater cause.” Adams said.
As part of this event, I, along with Aces Up, have set up a sponsorship page with for those who want to help the band’s efforts toward the Boot Walk: http://www.crowdrise.com/AcesUp/fundraiser/brendanabshier.
“I know we all have heroes in our hearts in one way or another,” keyboard player Brendan Abshier said. “I think of my family, I remember friends, and appreciate how grateful I am for the life I have been granted through their actions.”
Other supporters for the Boot Campaign include Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Dwayne Johnson “The Rock”, and more.
If you are interested in learning more about our special CORPORATE and HERO sponsorships, send an e-mail to me: brendan.abshier@gmail.com.
Further Info:
4th Annual Granger Smith Boot Walk | http://www.bootwalk.com
Boot Campaign | http://www.bootcampaign.com/
Aces Up | http://www.acesupcountry.com
Granger Smith | http://www.grangersmith.com
Earl Dibbles Jr. | http://www.earldibblesjr.com/
Hey everyone,
Aces Up just launched its Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming CD. This is a great way to pre-order the album and get one-time-only, rare band merchandise. Head over and check out the cool stuff you can get, but be quick, this only lasts for a limited time!
Link: http://kck.st/1aq0sZM
Hi!
Here’s a short little clip of some fan excitement for Aces Up with Florida Georgia Line. It’s my first attempt at trying to edit video taken with a flip cam, but it was a lot of fun testing it out. There will certainly be more videos from the road this summer and they’ll only get better!
Hope you enjoy!
@bkakeys
Brendan Keith 